


dude, i'm in love with you

by furiouscatlover



Category: Dialtown: Phone Dating Sim (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Awkward Dates, Awkwardness, Canon Trans Character, Cuddling & Snuggling, Denial of Feelings, Feelings Realization, Funfair, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Surgery, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Romance, Self-Doubt, Slow Burn, brief bit of angst, movie theaters, they go on dates but think its a friend thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:34:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24698413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/furiouscatlover/pseuds/furiouscatlover
Summary: i'm not good at summaries but randy is hella gay nd awkward
Relationships: Randy Jade/Oliver Swift
Comments: 10
Kudos: 42





	dude, i'm in love with you

Randy ran as fast as he could, wondering what the hell went wrong in his life. He was currently being chased by a whole horde of swans. He passed a few people that stared, running through uptown Dialtown. He had only been here once or twice, so he could navigate somewhat easily. The crowds of people he passed, though, slowed him down. 

_ Am I going to die?!  _ No, that wasn’t possible. They were just swans. Or, maybe..? 

The thought terrified him, even more so that he was running out of breath. His lungs felt weak. They were going to give in any minute. He needed to find somewhere to hide.

He saw a nearby building and ran inside the door. He slammed it shut, trying to regain his breath. His forehead bandage was extremely soaked with sweat, and his wounds underneath stung from the salt.

“Hello, welcome to Dialtown’s one and only movie theatre!” A voice spoke. Randy turned to see a man with a beige telephone head and a red flannel wave at him. “You can see that we don’t have a lot of customers, so I’ll help you in any way I can.”

“Wh… Huh?” He asked, then immediately finding it stupid. “Um, right! Uh… movies…”

The man seemed embarrassed. “Oh, are you uh, not here for a movie?”

“I t-totally am!” He walked up to the counter and looked at what was playing. “I’m here for uh, this one?” Randy pointed at what looked like a cheesy romcom. Not his thing, but anything to get out of this awkward situation. He sweated even more, dripping down his back at the thought of merely being in the same room as this attractive man.

“Are you running away from the swans?” The man asked, not convinced. “Yeah, we get a lot of people running from them. Animal control really needs to step their game up.”

Randy was about to mention he was technically a part of animal control, but that would just be making the situation difficult. “Uh, yeah…” 

“Anyway, feel free to stay as long as you’d like I suppose. If you wanna watch a movie, there’s a horror movie at,” he checked his watch, “three. No charge at all. We could watch it together, too. Not like I have anything better to do.”

Randy’s mind reeled. What was going on? A free movie? With a cute guy? He instantly shamed himself for this thought. The whole vibe of this place felt off. It was probably his nerves. He was exhausted. 

“Um, s-sure!” He responded, trying to be optimistic. This man was being very kind to him. 

The man gave him a thumbs up. “Groovy!”

Randy just now noticed that the other man was wearing a red fez. He leaned against the counter, watching the screens change every few seconds. He remained stoic. Randy decided to sit down to pass the time, but not before checking outside to see if the swans had passed. Nope, still there and waiting for him angrily. He fiddled with his bandages and fingers, unsure of himself as usual.

“What’s your name?” The other man called to him, making him jump.

“Um, R-Randy!” He responded, not lifting his head. The dried blood on his wrappings looked interesting enough for him. Still, he peeked up for a quick moment. The other man wasn’t looking at him. Good.

The other man nodded.

“Right, uh, what’s yours?” Randy asked, embarrassed at himself for not asking earlier.

He turned to look at him. “I’m Oliver.”

“Oh.”

The two stayed quiet, but it wasn’t entirely silent in the theatre.. Goose honking could be heard faintly, and the hum of electricity buzzed from the lights.  _ At least it’s cool in here _ , Randy thought,  _ but it’s getting more awkward… _

“Do you want anything?” Oliver asked, turning to face Randy. He seemed bored, but that seemed like it happened a lot here. He was being extremely kind, when he could’ve just kicked him out earlier.

Randy shrugged. “I’m good, but thank you.”

“Well, we have about,” Oliver checked his wrist watch, an old thing with rust on the edges, “thirty minutes until that horror movie starts. And I don’t suppose you have anything better to do, so would you like to chat?”

Randy looked up. “Oh, sure?” He didn’t know why Oliver would want to talk to him of all people, but he supposed that the other man was bored enough that he’d talk to him.

“Well,” Oliver walked and sat next to him, “where do you work?”

Instantly Randy regretted it. 

“I’m a, er, phone operator, and a… swan wrangler…” Both didn’t sound good either way he worded it.

“What kind of phone operator?” Oliver asked curiously, not realizing what he just asked.

Randy looked back down at his hands. “Sex…” He mumbled.

Oliver looked away sheepishly. “Oh.”

The two sat in silence again. Randy clenched his teeth, feeling far more than just awkward. This was going horribly. He glanced over at Oliver, seeing that he was staring at his shoes. He wasn’t going to make it through this… whatever it was. A date? No, they had just met! 

_ Maybe with time..? _

“What do you like to do in your spare time?” Oliver asked, trying again. Randy was impressed by his attempts to wave off the awkwardness.

Randy looked back at him, deciding to try again as well. “Um, other than wrangling swans? Uh… not a lot.” He paused for a few moments, Oliver nodding considerately. “Oh, uh, how about you?”

Oliver seemed to lighten up a bit after that. “I love theatre. Well, I do work here for a reason, but making films is fun I guess.”

Randy nodded. That seemed to ease the tension. The two phones sat there for a while, lying there in the silence. He was having a good time. Not exactly how he planned this day to go in the slightest, but it was nice nonetheless. No matter how awkward this was, he was at least cooling off now. The AC was nice.

The Nokia phone found himself getting drowsy too. He wanted to fall asleep right here and now, but he was going to wait until he got back to his crappy apartment. Still, he couldn’t help the way his head slipped to the side. He shut his eyes and sighed.

“Hey, it’s three. Do you still want to watch that movie?” Oliver asked, waking Randy with a jolt. 

“S-Sure!” Randy hoped Oliver couldn’t tell he had accidentally fallen asleep just now. Something about the other man made him want to give a good impression. 

The two wandered to the third theatre, Oliver leading the way confidently while Randy stumbled in the dark behind him. It was a little laughable, Randy thought, because he towered over the other man. At one point he almost fell, and bumped into Oliver. 

“Sorry about that,” Randy said in embarrassment. 

Oliver just laughed, giving him a thumbs up. “It’s fine dude!” Randy felt slight butterflies in his stomach.

The two decided on two seats by the back. They sat down, and watched as the movie started. It was one of those old horror movies that was more comedy because they were so bad. Randy occasionally shut his eyes, but jerked to half-wakeness due to the sound effects and flashing lights.

He felt his head slipping down again, onto something soft. It smelt like pine. He didn’t care, it was a nice texture and he was drowsy enough to fall asleep anywhere at this point. He woke up and fell asleep multiple times. 

  
  


Randy felt someone talking to him calmly. He held onto something soft, whining a little bit. 

“Can’t I sleep a little bit longer..?” He asked, then opened his eyes and instantly felt stupid. He let go of what he was holding, which was Oliver’s arm- Oh. “Ah, s-sorry!” Randy said.

Oliver shrugged, scratching his head. “It’s fine. You’re very warm.”

Randy blushed. He might’ve drooled. How embarrassing. “Um, what t-time is it?” He asked, changing the subject.

The other man stood up and stretched, then checked his watch. “Around 5?” 

The taller man sweated. “I have to g-go now!” Randy said, running out of the movie theater, but not before tripping over his own shoelaces and falling to the floor. He let out a groan.

Oliver called to him in the dark. “Are you okay, Randy?!” The mentioned man sighed, feeling his knee sting. He must’ve scraped it, or maybe he got rug burn. This was a shitty day.

He picked himself up, ignoring the pain in his knee. He’d definitely been through worse, but the embarrassment of falling in front of this man stung worse than anything he’d experienced. He’d always been hyper aware of how he moved and acted, but being around Oliver made it worse. Randy felt so unbelievably tense, like he  _ had  _ to impress the other man.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for everything, but I h-have to go!” He said, sprinting through the theater lobby and running out the door. 

The horde of geese had left, to Randy’s dumb luck. The man continued to work his way back to his apartment, slowing down as his lungs grew tired. By the time he was fumbling with his keys a few feet from the door, he was inhaling desperately for air. He was never good at running long distances, or just running in general. 

Randy opened his door, not taking off his jacket. His air conditioner sputtered weakly as he turned it on, resulting in him having to kick it a few times. It whirred to full power, and he sighed in content. He flopped down on his bed, closing his eyes for a few minutes. 

Then, his head buzzed with a call. He sighed, standing up, and clearing his throat. Then, he accepted the call.

“Are you feeling  _ Randy  _ tonight? Because I sure am!” 

He groaned internally.

  
  
  


The next day was the same as every other day. Wrangling geese, accidentally provoking a local cryptid, etcetera. He wasn’t bit as bad this time, so his bandage supply would be fine for another week. This made Randy happy. However, he was exhausted. It was already dark out.

When he was walking home, he passed the movie theater. The man found himself standing in front of the door, his hand resting on the handle. He desperately wished to enter, but he didn’t want to talk to Oliver again after that. He was embarrassed enough. 

Still, he lingered there, stepping back every few seconds to leave but returning. He couldn’t make up his mind. Randy must’ve stood there for a while because his legs started to get sore. Ultimately, he decided to walk in.

Big mistake.

Oliver was asleep, his head lying on his hands. He was snoring loud enough for Randy to hear across the lobby. The lighting from the screens added a reddish hue all across the room, but mostly on the sleeping man. Randy felt flustered, his skin heating up. Why did this make him so embarrassed? He was just sleeping… Still, he looked really cute. He wouldn’t deny it this time.

Randy let go of the door knob, letting it slam shut. He anxiously opened it again, seeing that Oliver was now waking up. He stretched just like yesterday, and it faintly reminded Randy of a cat. He looked around, then seemed to brighten when he saw him.

“Hey Randy!” He smiled, checking his watch. “My shift should be over soon, mind waiting with me?” 

Randy sighed, stepping in. “Sorry to wake you! Y-You looked so peaceful…” 

Oliver shrugged as the other man walked closer to him. “It’s totally groovy, dude! I shouldn’t have been sleeping on the job anyway!” 

The taller man leaned against the counter, deciding it was better than standing there and doing nothing with his hands. 

“So, have you been running from geese again or did you just wanna see me?” Oliver asked.

“Oh, u-uh, I don’t-” He started to panic a little bit, sweat working its way down his back, but he was quickly interrupted.

“That was a joke, sorry. You don’t have to answer that,” The other man scratched his neck, a little disappointed..? It was something Randy wished for, but he pushed the thought away.

The two stood there, avoiding eye contact for a minute or so. The lights continued to buzz just like yesterday.

Randy wondered how he got into these situations. 

“I, um, I did want t-to see you!” He said, then regretted it. 

Oliver perked up a bit. “Oh! That’s great… uh, do you want to walk together? My house isn’t far from here.”

“S-sure!” He didn’t regret it anymore. The tall man walked to the bench and sat there, waiting for his friend’s shift to end. He was bewildered over how fast he grew comfortable to this man. Well, not comfortable, but at least better than strangers.

He fiddled with his hands again. He hoped this wouldn’t turn into an everyday thing. Not that he didn’t like Oliver, of course not! He actually liked him a lot, a little too much for two men who just met yesterday. Randy just didn’t want to mess this up.

“Alright, I’m done!” The shorter man said, giving him a thumbs up. 

The two began to walk out, the cold hitting their exposed skin. Randy was lucky, he had a thick jacket and bandages covering his hands. Plus, his body was always warm anyway. Oliver, however, was not as lucky. Randy noticed how he shook, his arms exposed. He wanted to say something or maybe offer to do something for him but he was worried about being too weird.

Still, Randy couldn’t help but take off his jacket and offer it to the other man. He looked away in embarrassment as Oliver took it.

“Aw, thanks so much dude! You’re so thoughtful!” 

“Um, it-t’s fine…” 

The rest of the walk was completely silent. Randy felt a strange calm that co-existed with the giddy feeling in his stomach. Oliver’s home was a little ways further than Randy’s, but it wasn’t that far. It was an apartment on the first floor, but it was a lot nicer and bigger than his own’s.

Oliver opened the door, and handed back Randy’s jacket. “Thanks. I had a nice time, bro.” He smiled, and Randy looked to the side.

“Um, me t-too! Maybe we could, uh, do it again sometime...” He stood there playing with the bandages on his hands. Oliver stared at him, making him anxious. Did he say the wrong thing? Oh. He didn’t take his jacket back.

“Here’s your coat back!” 

Randy shrugged. “Oh, you can keep it for tonight if you want-t…” He said, then added, “it looks better on you. Plus, it gives me an excuse t-to see you tomorrow!” Oh god.

Oliver seemed to become flustered by this. “W-Well, if you insist!”

The pair stood there. Randy felt like they had been through this before. 

“Do you want to come inside?” Oliver asked.

“Um, I need to get.. I need t-to go home now, sorry,” Randy mumbled. “Second job.”

Oliver nodded, putting on his jacket again. “That’s understandable dude! See you tomorrow!”

Randy sprinted home, his face flushed.

  
  


The next day, Randy was passing the movie theater again. He wanted to walk past, but at the very least he could get his jacket back from Oliver, right? 

He opened the door. This time, the sight of his new friend sleeping didn’t bother him. He walked up to the counter and tapped him lightly. Oliver stirred, but didn’t lift his head up. The sleeping man was wearing Randy’s jacket, too! This made him a little happy. It looked good on him.

“H-Hey, Oliver?” He poked him, and the man sighed.

“Mmm, yeah?”

It seemed rude to ask him to give his jacket back and then just leave. “Uh, d-do you…do you want to walk home together?” He wanted to hang out with Oliver more, desperately bad, but he always felt weird talking to him. His throat got tight and dry, his chest felt light and his whole body tingled with the need to move. Most of all, though, his brain felt mushy and euphoric. He liked it, but didn’t understand what it was.

“Oh, I fell asleep again. Yeah, sure dude!” He stood up and stretched. Randy looked away.

The two walked to Oliver’s house, keeping their silence. Randy kept his thoughts about this to himself. They passed a gas station with a certain fast food restaurant.

“Have you eaten today?” His friend’s question surprised him. 

Randy hadn’t. “Uh, no, but I can get something when I get home.”

“Why don’t we get something right now?” Oliver smiled. 

Randy smiled briefly, but checked his pockets. “Oh, I d-don’t have any money on me.” All of his money was back at home.

His friend grinned at him. “It’s on me!”

The pair walked inside the Mcdonald’s, ordering at the front. Randy didn’t want to get much, since Oliver was paying. He got himself a small fry and a drink. The two sat down and ate. 

There wasn’t really much to talk about, but on the way back Randy worked up the courage to ask for his coat back. Well, half-way. He started when Oliver spoke over him.

“Can I-”

“I had-”

The two looked at each other.

“You go ahead,” Oliver said.

Randy started again when he heard loud honking behind him. His skin crawled as he turned around. The horde of geese were back!

He grabbed Oliver’s hand and ran.

“We need to get out of here!” He cried, sprinting and pulling his friend along. “Is there anywhere y-you know?”

Oliver looked a little shocked, but nodded. He ran ahead, this time he was dragging Randy this time. The two sprinted, to the smaller man’s apartment. The horde of geese were close behind, but the pair of phones were hurriedly unlocking the door. Quickly, they slipped in and locked the door.

They both slid to the floor with a sigh, trying to regain their breaths.

“Well now that you’re here, wanna stay over?” 

The question scared Randy more than the geese, which was saying something.

“Um, if y-you’ll have me!”

  
  
  


The next morning Oliver tried handing Randy his coat back. He declined.

  
  
  


This pattern repeated for a while. Randy would go to work, wrangle geese for a few hours, walk to the movie theater and walk Oliver home, talking about stupid things like the movies or recent news in the area. Then, Randy would go home, work his second job with sex addicts over the phone and finally  _ finally  _ have time to think. He’d think about many things, but most of all Oliver.

Oliver’s laughter, his speech style, the way that he dressed, the way that he’d fall asleep anywhere. All of it made Randy even more giddy and excited to walk his new friend home. He practically owned his jacket, taking it upon himself to buy himself another. They even got dinner a couple of times, and Randy would sometimes stay overnight at the theatre to accompany him on his shifts (all while working his second job, of course.  _ That _ was embarrassing).

Today was one of the very rare days where both Randy and Oliver were able to take off work together. They first met up in the morning.

“Hey, bro!” Oliver smiled, rushing to hug his friend. Randy accepted it. His heart beat increased, even though he  _ should  _ be used to it at this point. The short man was very physical and loved to give hugs. It’s not that he didn’t like it, but he didn’t want his friend to hear the hammering of his heartbeat.

Randy timidly hugged him, not wanting to hurt him. “Hey,” he said softly.

“What do you wanna do? We have all day,” His friend said. The two parted but Oliver’s hand lingered for just a moment by his hand. Randy noticed.

“Uh, I’m okay with whatever y-you wanna do!” The taller man said.

Oliver took his hand. His skin felt cold on Randy’s own, which felt extremely warm. “Let’s just walk for a while and see if we could find something to do, yeah?”

Randy’s stomach fluttered dangerously, like little razors were lightly grazing the inside of his stomach. “Sure, l-let’s go!”

The two started off, swinging their hands and talking about the latest news. Oliver explained the latest movie they were showing at the theater, and Randy talked about the latest crazy story from his phone sex operating job. They laughed and passed a few places, some fancy restaurants that the two of them were too poor to afford, some houses, and a furniture store to name a few.

Randy pointed to a 90’s themed diner, by the looks of it. “How about there?”

Oliver seemed to brighten at the suggestion. “Sure! I’ve never been there before.”

The two stepped in. It wasn’t just a diner, but a skating rink. The carpet was black with colorful squiggles, the walls carpeted. The whole place was mostly dimly lit, except for bright neon tubes of different colors. Also, there were two brightly lit areas, with someone handling the skates and a mini fast food place. It smelled of grease and oil. 

If Oliver was excited before, he was ecstatic now. 

“This is so rad! Let’s skate!”

Randy was happy to see his friend happy as he led him to the counter to rent skates. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts about it that he didn’t notice his body was moving without him, tying up his laces and helping Oliver’s with his. By the time he was about to step on the rink, it hit him.

He couldn’t skate.

Oliver stepped past him, almost falling over but taking to it quickly. He laughed in delight. 

“Have you ever skated before?” He asked, reaching his hand out. 

Randy timidly placed his left foot on the rink, immediately slipping. He caught himself on the wall, and clutched onto it like a lifeline. “No,” he said grimly.

His friend laughed, and for a minute he felt bad. Then he realized he wasn’t being laughed at, and brushed off the feeling. 

“That’s okay, neither have I.”

Randy gave him an unconvinced look.

“Seriously!”

The two laughed, gathering the concern of a few passersby. A catchy 80’s song played on the crackly speakers. Oliver outstretched his hand, the neons lightly touching on his cream colored phone head. 

“It’s okay, I’ll make sure you don’t fall.”

Randy felt his skin grow warm and his throat go dry. As much as he wanted to stay here on the wall and simply watch, he wanted to be with his friend. 

“Alright…” He put out a coy hand, covered in bandages, and leaned close to Oliver. He wobbled, letting out a little ‘ah!’, but he didn’t fall. His friend’s grip on him was strong.

Oliver kicked his leg, pushing the both of them forward. Randy kept his legs steady, even though they felt weak. He looked at his friend and his heart felt full. They started slow, then sped up and soon the pair was zooming around the rink. 

They stopped for a while to eat around lunch, then continued. Randy fell on his butt, and giggled about it with Oliver. They recommended music and continued skating for hours.

It was around nighttime when the two were skating slowly to a gentle song about love, a few other couples holding hands and smooching around the rink.

Randy wanted to look at his friend. He never realized how handsome he was. Well, obviously he had thought about it, but being this close made his heart flutter like a bird. He leaned in, not realizing how close he was getting. 

“Uh, Randy?” 

He snapped out of it, leaning back. 

“Y-Yeah?”

Oliver looked around, hesitating a bit. Then, he leaned into him and touched their heads together. The two stopped skating, standing still in the middle of the rink. It made Randy’s world spin, his heart feel fuller and his mind like it was sparking. They were simply touching heads, but it felt great. He wanted more.

The pair broke up, and Oliver looked distressed.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what that was. I should’ve asked,” he held his arms, folding into himself. The way he flinched when Randy reached for his hand made him upset.

“No, it’s f-” He started, but his friend stormed off. He returned his skates and marched off.

Randy sat down, slowly undoing his laces and wondering what he did wrong.

  
  
  


Oliver didn’t want to walk home with him. He seemed low energy, so Randy was okay with it. It got worse the next day, when his friend didn’t show up to work. Another man kept telling him to leave when Oliver didn’t show up, but he didn’t want to give up. Still, he showed up everyday after his work. He wondered if he should go up and check on him. 

Randy was extremely worried.

He was so worried, in fact, that he took time off of both of his jobs to do nothing but sit around and worry.

_ Should I go check up on him? What if he’s not home? Will he call me creepy if I break in? What if he thinks I’m a bad friend? What if he is avoiding me because he doesn’t want to be my friend anymore? _

These thoughts ran through his mind constantly. He hardly moved, so wrapped up in what might happen that he didn’t eat or drink. The first person to actually make an effort to like him and talk to him, and now he drove him away. Randy was so upset. The man had actually been so kind to him, and he did this to himself.

Of course, he wasn’t going to talk to Oliver. Not now, anyway. He wanted to build up the courage, if he could even find any. The very thought of facing him made him anxious. He’d give up all of his money (even if it wasn’t a lot) to know what was up with his friend. It all felt hopeless to him at this point.

Still, he had to go back to work at some point. So, he wrangled geese for the day which dragged out forever, then he’d linger around the theater until he got chased away by the geese or by a police officer who found him suspicious. Then, he’d talk to people on the phone and help them to reach sexual bliss then fall asleep. Then he’d do it all over again. 

It took a week for Randy to become sick of it.

He eventually decided to get clearance on this, because he’d rather die knowing what he did wrong and lose a friend than to spend the rest of his life wondering about it… or something like that. Besides, if he could fix what he did wrong, he could hang out with his friend more. That was all he really wanted, right? To be friends again. Something in him wanted a lot more. He pushed it away.

He fiddled with his bandages as he walked to Oliver’s house. 

He’d walk this path many times before, but this was the first time he went alone. It didn’t sit right with him. Not feeling Oliver’s hand in his, or even the presence of him next to Randy didn’t feel right.

The door loomed in front of him. He didn’t think he’d get here fast enough. He should go home. Yeah, that sounded good. Randy turned around, then stopped. 

He was sick of running.

Randy knocked on the door.

He felt sick. But, it was too late to do anything about it now. He couldn’t give up now! He wanted to know.

The door opened.

“Hello?” Oliver’s voice asked. 

Randy picked at his fingernails. “U-Um, how are y-you doing?”

Oliver stayed at the door, staying silent for a few awkward moments. 

“I just wanted to check up on y-you.”

His friend was cowering, just like that day at the skating rink.

“Meet me at the funfair at 7:00.”

The door shut in his face.

Randy didn’t process what was happening, his legs moving by themselves. He was walking home. What had just happened? What was  _ going  _ to happen? He couldn’t help but feel excited over it. Was this a date or something? It was wishful thinking at this point, but he came to terms with his feelings.

He prepared himself for the fair.

  
  
  


Randy had just showered, and thrown on some clean clothes. He reapplied his bandages, and felt a little more fresh than earlier. He was ready, but not mentally. The man shook, his nerves making him jittery. This complete wave of anxiety washed over him.

Still, he walked to the funfair and stood by the ticket booth, staring down at the grass. Was he supposed to meet him inside, or wait for the man?

“Hey, dude…” Oliver tapped on his shoulder. Randy jumped, but sighed in relief as he turned around. It seemed he didn’t need to decide. Oliver was wearing his normal outfit, along with Randy’s jacket, but seemed like he had just washed up too.

His heartbeat raced wildly. “Y-Yeah?”

Oliver scratched the back of his head. Somehow he was even more attractive in the light of the funfair.

“Can we go inside first, man? I’ll explain everything later,” the other man spoke. 

Randy shrugged. “‘S fine...”   
  


Oliver paid for their tickets. He almost missed the sign that said “2 for 1!”, and realized it was Valentine’s day. How could he have missed it? He kept his head down, embarrassed. The two wandered to a bench to sit down. 

Oliver took his hand. The mere gesture made Randy’s brain stop working, and his body freeze up.

“I didn’t mean to leave you like that, dude. Especially without saying anything! I was going through some stuff and didn’t want it to affect you.”

Randy nodded. “That makes sense.” He was hurt his friend couldn’t trust him, but he somewhat understood. “But why did y-you… I mean, why here?”

His friend grinned. Well, he would be if he had a mouth. “To be here, with you dude!” He stood up and dragged him to the rides.

“Wh-” Randy started, but let himself be pulled along. 

The sky behind his friend, and the fair, was gorgeous hues of bleeding reds. oranges, and purples. Children crying and screaming, and looped carnival music rang in the air. It smelled of vomit and fatty foods, mixing together unpleasantly. The two rode rides, squealing and screaming at the heights and desperately trying not to fall over from the dizziness.

Hours past, the sky turning into a dark blue. Randy couldn’t stop staring into Oliver’s face. He was having a great time, absolutely, but he couldn’t shake what his friend said earlier. It was unusual for how quickly they had gone back to normal. Well, mostly normal. He still felt weird. He realized now, sitting next to Oliver in a ferris wheel cart, that he had a crush. He had it for a while now, too. Maybe it turned into love? 

Randy wanted to hug him, or be close to the other man. He wanted to cuddle up close and not move, just sit there and revel in his presence. Still, he clung to the metal wall, not looking down. The man didn’t want to touch him, scared that Oliver would be weirded out. His skin was warm.

The thoughts all rushing into his mind at once faded away as he looked out on the view. Even with the overthinking and the doubting, the lights from the rest of the fair were magical. He got this floaty feeling that didn’t help at all.

He cleared his throat.

“U-Um, what happened?” Randy asked, not regretting it because of the question itself, but the look on his friend’s face. 

Oliver paled, then flushed. “It’s stupid.”

“Ah. Okay.” 

The screams of joy were more distant now, replaced by the churning of mechanics in the ferris wheel. Randy set his hand down.

“Does it have anything to d-do with, er, that day? At t-the rink?” He pressed.

Oliver shrugged. The silence between the two hung in the air this time, a sharp reminder of what had happened. Randy felt like if his friend could, he’d walk out of the passenger car right now. It looked like he was considering it.

Randy looked back at the view. They were now at the very top. “Sorry,” he whispered.

His friend turned to look at him. It looked like he wanted to say something, but he didn’t. At least, not for a few minutes. It felt like hours, when in reality it was pretty short.

“I’ve been having these… f-feelings, you know?” Oliver said. “For you.”

Randy froze.

The man continued, clearing his throat anxiously. “I didn’t really k-know how to deal with them. I didn’t want you to think I wasn’t cool or anything.” He laughed nervously, and he was fiddling with his own hands. 

“Oh.”

Oliver looked at him, and their gazes met. “I’m sorry, I know it’s lame.”

Randy stayed silent. His throat felt tight, his heart light. 

“You don’t have to respond,” his friend sighed.

He shook his head, snapping back into the moment. “No! Uh, I’ve been f-feeling the same way. I don’t know for how long. But, um, y-you’re pretty cool.”

Oliver seemed to brighten at this. “Oh, really?” Then, he laughed. Randy looked at him in a questioning way. “Sorry, I feel stupid now.”

“You aren’t stupid,” he said.

His friend held up a hand to his head. “Yeah, but I totally could have avoided all of this by just being honest. Or something.”

Randy continued to be puzzled. “Why did y-you take off work, then?”

Oliver looked at the ground sheepishly. “I’m uh, trans. I just got top surgery.” He didn’t seem embarrassed about this, just taken aback.

“That’s great, actually!” Randy said, giving him a thumbs up. “I mean, that’s really cool. I’m happy for y-you.”

“Thanks…” 

The ride was 3/4ths over. Randy was upset about it. He wanted this moment to last forever. Now that they had worked it out, the tension had eased. Still, there was one more thing. 

Oliver darted his gaze, then held Randy’s hand. The gesture made his heart flutter. 

“Can I, uh,” his friend asked, but he leaned in. Their ‘accept call’ buttons clicked as their heads met, and it made Randy feel a spark in his chest. He had read somewhere that this was “kissing”, before the whole phonification that the people touched “lips”. He didn’t even know what those were, but his mind went blank as Oliver held him. 

The two broke and looked away bashfully. The ride was over, and the two stepped out holding hands.

They walked out of the park, not talking but listening as the sounds of the funfair grew more and more distant. Eventually it was dead silent, and the only sounds they could hear was the echoing of their own footsteps. They finally reached Oliver’s house, and parted with a “kiss”.

Oliver handed Randy his jacket back. “Thanks.”

Randy took it, confused. “I gave it to y-you, though.” His friend laughed.

“It’s fine. You can have it back now, dude.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

The shorter man waved it off. “It’s fine. Do you want to come in?”

Randy nodded. For once in his miserable life, he was happy to be chased by geese.

**Author's Note:**

> this was a little awkward considering i’ve legit never written phone men before,, and i have a hard time with characterizations but i hope this is ok!
> 
> the "kissing" part is an idea i had, that in that world the "lips" would be the accept call buttons for men, and for women it would be like space bar or something,,, anyway it took a lot of thinking for it and it's a little stupid but i kinda like it lol 
> 
> (also i hc that randy is taller than oliver :3)
> 
> comments are always appreciated!
> 
> come talk to me!  
> instagram: slushyishere  
> twitter: slushy_owo


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